


Shout

by Irgendwann (Mamay17)



Category: IT (2017)
Genre: Aged up characters, Background Relationships, M/M, The College AU no one asked for, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-03-26 07:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13852572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mamay17/pseuds/Irgendwann
Summary: Stanley Uris knew that seeing Mike Hanlon again would open another can of worms.The Losers decide to reunite in Derry before graduating college.





	1. Chapter 1

Epilogue

 

_In the morning, I take the same route through this little town. I usually arrive there around 8:30 in the morning. As I drive by this neighborhood of colonial houses, I see this elderly man walking two small dogs. The dogs seem to be walking him, since he walks so slow. Each of his step must be calculated at his age, yet somehow every day, he gets it in him to wake up._

_And that's how my routine actually starts By seeing him at that time. So one day, I get off the parkway, go through the little town and pause at the stop sign. I don't see him anywhere. I get worried that something's happened to him. He seems pretty old, so anything could’ve happened to him._

_Isn't it funny? This man has no idea I exist. No idea how much I look forward to seeing him walk his dogs in the morning. There I am, wondering if he's ok._


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I'm kinda dumb, and I didn't realize that I put this as a one chapter story. Ha ha, as if. Anyhoo, here's the first official chapter! I apologize for any mistakes.

Stanley let the phone ring three times before bringing it to his ear.

 

"Hello?"

 

"Hey Stan."

 

"Bill," Stanley replied, sitting up in his chair. He was at his desk, currently in the middle of writing his essay for an English class.  "To what do I owe the honor?"

"I'd been thinking that we should all meet up this winter break." Bill said, and then paused. "A-after Christmas day, of course.”

Stan didn’t say anything at first, so Bill continued. “I figured that we could see everyone before we graduate. You know, Richie, Eddie, Ben, Bev and Mike. What do you think?"

Although the Losers hadn't been communicating every day, they all still kept in touch one way or another. They were inseparable in high school, but they'd all drifted towards their own goals after graduating, which led them to different paths.

 

So, it had been a while since they actually hung out together. Bill had gone to Massachusetts—to follow his passion for writing. Stan, Richie and Eddie all went to NYU. (Eddie had first gone to Fordham, but Richie had convinced him to transfer). Ben and Beverly went away the farthest: to California: Ben was studying architecture and Bev was majoring in fashion design.

 

Last, but not least, Mike had stayed in Maine—not in Derry, but the University of Maine was considerably the closest to their childhood hometown. 

 

 Everyone would be graduating within the next semester, so who knew to which parts of the country they'd all scatter?

 

"Yeah, sure. It'll be nice to see everyone again."

 

"Great!" Bill said. Stanley could practically feel the excitement emanating from the phone. "I'll call everyone else and let them know too. We'll talk soon, Stan?"

 

"Yeah, of course."

 

They said their goodbyes and then he hung up.

 

Stanley wasn’t a fan of long transits: one of the reasons why he didn’t travel to Derry back and forth as the others might have. His parents urged him to stop by for Hanukkah, but he hadn’t found a pertinent reason to ride a train and bus for nine hours in wintery conditions.

 

He’d told himself that Hanukkah wasn't even that much of a religious day, but he supposed they had to engage themselves in a celebration to not feel left out by Christmas.

 

The first train ride was exactly as Stan expected: Richie and Eddie were fighting within two hours. Well, more like Richie was irritating Eddie. This time it was about Eddie using too much rubbing alcohol to clean his hands. Stan didn’t mind the aseptic smell, but it sure bothered Richie.

 

“Geez, you wanna put a little more on?”

 

“Do you know how many germs are in a public bathroom?”

“That’s what soap is for.”

“Well some people don’t wash their hands. And that means that when you open the bathroom door, you get it on your own hands!”

“Aw, spaghetti man, you’re adorable when you’re angry.”

“Shut the fuck up Richie!”

“Don’t have an aneurysm now, babe.”

“I swear to God…”

Stan smiled to himself—he always found it a little funny to hear their conversations, but hours in the same train might take a toll on him. He just tuned them out for the remainder of the ride and looked out the window.

 

Stan’s parents were ecstatic that he would be in Derry for the holiday break. Or more likely, pleased that he would be present for the synagogue’s Hanukkah celebration. A great way for the local community to ask him personal questions that he didn’t want to answer.

 

 When things settled down for everyone, they decided to meet at Ben’s house. Bill had too much family over while Ben’s mom wasn’t exactly close with her relatives. The Losers ended up gathering in the basement to not disturb her.

 

At first when they reunited, a silence permeated the room. It didn’t feel awkward, however. It was more like everyone was trying to remember what it was like being together.

 Richie, of course, was the first to break it by bear hugging Bill and Mike before Bev joined them, along with Ben. Eddie and Stan joined them last, but not least.  

Once the commotions set down, Richie spoke first.

“Ok, so as much as I love seeing all your beautiful faces, what’s the real reason we’re all gathering, Big Bill?”

“It’s nothing bad,” He replied, giving a small shrug. “I just wanted all of us to meet up again and catch up. You guys are still my closest friends.”

No one made a snide remark at that, even Richie. Instead, they decided to catch up on the last three and a half years since they last saw each other.

Bill talked about how his creative writing professor ragged on his work. It all worked out in the end, since his story got published in a small magazine. The real win was that he got to shove that victory in the professor’s face. And that class didn’t matter in the grand scheme of things since Bill had other electives to choose from—being an English major and all.

Stan himself was majoring in accounting, which he liked a lot. Ben was studying architecture, while Bev was pursing fashion. Richie was unsurprisingly studying theater, while Eddie was surprisingly majoring in microbiology.

Mike had actually graduated a semester earlier, and he was already working at the Derry Library. Bill had congratulated him, and Stan felt a pang in his chest. But it was his fault for that—he hadn’t exactly been keeping in touch with Mike. He hadn’t responded to his latest letter, which was around a year ago.

It was around 1am, and they were still awake, talking to each other. He joined Mike, Ben and Bev, who were now sitting on the floor, around the coffee table.

Ben and Bev looked happy together, especially Bev: her eyes had a light in them instead of that sadness when he first met her so long ago. He supposed it had a lot to do with moving out of Derry, following her dreams and Ben’s support of her creativity. Her smile was still radiant and contagious. It was easy to see how Ben and Bill were head over heels for her those years ago.

They all looked different, yet still the same. Even though Ben lost a lot of weight in high school, he looked more athletic now. The deadpan looks he gave Stan after Richie’s comments brought back memories. Bill looked taller as well, and definitely like the leader to whom they’d all looked up. Stan himself though looked up to Mike at times too.

Stan casually looked in Mike’s direction. He was listening to Eddie, who was intently talking about something.

Mike had grown taller as well, and his frame was more filled out. His features were more defined, especially his eyes, the curve of his long eyelashes, the shape of his lips, and--

“So, Stan, anyone special in your life?” Bev asked, tearing him out of his thoughts.

He felt like a deer in headlights for a second. He hadn’t noticed the conversations switched on to their love lives.

“Sorry-- what?”

“Tell them about Patty,” Richie said, nudging him.

“Patty?” Bev said, raising her eyebrows and looked at Stan with a grin. Everyone was looking at him expectantly. He made a mental note of meeting Richie in the parking lot.

He didn’t want to get into it, especially not with everyone at the moment. Stan sighed and explained that Patricia was a girl he was seeing. A friend of his had introduced them to each other at her sorority party, and they hit it off since then.

Richie whistled. “So when’s the big day, Stanny?”

Stan rolled his eyes in return.

The topic moved on to Mike. Stan looked at him curiously. He wondered if he had a girlfriend now too. He had to—no one as handsome as Mike would be alone.

Instead, he shook his head. “Nope, I’m not seeing anyone right now.”

There was no way, Stan thought. So many girls in high school had a crush on him. And there’s no way girls in college would stay away from him.

“Besides,” Mike continued. “I just started working in the fall, so not much time for that.”

“Excuses, excuses young man,” Richie said, in his Granny-Grunt voice—the most annoying one in Stan’s opinion.

“I have to admit, Richie. Theater suits you.” Bev said. “Your acting skills’ve gotten a lot better.”

“Thank YOU! To think my talents were wasted as a painter?”

“There’s still hope,” Stan said. “You could always be the next Bob Ross.”

“Yeah,” Eddie agreed. “He did spend a lot of time at the park.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.” Richie said in a solemn, mellow tone, feigning hurt.

Those who watched the show laughed quietly.

“Or maybe he already smelled too much paint,” Eddie replied.

Everyone burst out into laughter again. This time Stan laughed along, and then he met Mike’s eyes. They both used to laugh at the same things. He’d missed that. The warmth and understanding he used to see in his eyes. He would’ve looked away before getting too invested, but Mike smiled at him. _Fuck_.

Stan couldn’t help but give a soft smile in return, as if it was mechanical. 

Before he could stop himself, the words flowed out.

"We should hang out again, Mike. Just the two of us."

He felt as though someone else was speaking through him. In fact, the whole room seem to be fading away, and Mike was his focal point.

He said it softly enough, but Mike heard it, his eyes widening a bit in surprise.  

He didn’t expect that, but why should he after how Stan left? After how he distanced himself from Mike? Well, not consciously as he’d like to admit. After all, each of them was laden with their own responsibilities. But a voice inside of him said that he could’ve tried calling. Or writing a letter on a nice stationary paper on his birthday.

Stanley took a deep breath and looked around a bit, but the rest of the gang continued to pay attention to Richie's Bob Ross impersonation.

Mike was looking back at him thoughtfully for what felt like minutes. Maybe he was probably waiting for a "just kidding" moment or something. For a second, Stanley was tempted to grab his belongings and run out of the house because this idea was stupid and he should’ve just stayed quiet.

Finally, Mike replied. "Sure. When are you thinking of?"

"Uh, how about this Saturday, around lunch time?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Mike replied, nodding.

It was supposed to be a bit chilly this weekend, but Stan supposed that's Maine for you: cold most of the year round and freezing during the winter.

It was around 2am that everyone called it a night. Ben kindly planned it like a sleepover, so there were enough places for everyone to sleep at. Except Stan couldn’t sleep. He lied awake, staring at the ceiling and hearing Richie snore next to him. Eddie was comically cocooned in his sleeping bag next to Richie, muttering a word here and there. He was used to these sounds from college. Everyone else seemed to sleep soundly. Stan turned on his side and closed his eyes, hearing the second hand of his watch tick.

 _One, two, three_. 


End file.
